As promised, Lorie returned ho before the sun dipped below the horizon. Her heart pounded as she stepped inside and found Robert waiting in the living room, slouched on the sofa, his face carved with suspicion and frustration.
The sight of him made her blood run cold.
She faltered for a mont but forced a smile, swallowing her fear. This was her shot to gain his trust.
"When did you get ho?" she asked cautiously.
"Drop the act," he snapped. "Your fake sweetness won’t fool . Where the hell were you?"ƒrēewebnovel
Lorie froze mid-step, her hand tightening around the sides of her skirt. Her mind raced. Had he followed her? Had soone tipped him off?
She couldn’t afford to lie.
"I went to see my mother," she said, her voice shaking. "But then... I got a call from my old manager. She wanted to talk. There was an opening at the office. I—I thought maybe I could start working again."
"No," Robert roared, slamming his hand on the armrest. Lorie flinched hard.
"You think you can walk out of here and et so other guy?" His glare burned through her. "You are mine. You work here as my maid. That’s your place."
Tears welled up in her eyes. She dropped to her knees, desperation taking over.
"Please, Robert," she begged. "I’m not trying to run. I’ve learned my lesson. I know I was wrong. I swear I won’t find anyone else."
She crawled forward, clutching his leg. "I know I’ve made mistakes. You are powerful, and you have got eyes everywhere in this city. There is nowhere I could run or hide from you. If you don’t trust , have soone follow . I won’t fight it. I’ve accepted the reality. I’m your wife now. There is nowhere I can run. I don’t want anyone else. Just you. Please... give a chance."
Lorie looked up at him, her eyes pleading, hopeful. She had to play the part. She had to make him believe. Because if she couldn’t break free from him, none of gan’s promises would matter.
Robert eyed her with suspicion. He didn’t trust her, not even a little, but hearing her admit his power, it fed his ego. His chest puffed slightly as if her pleading and submission to him proved his dominance.
"I could help repay your debts if I work," Lorie said carefully, testing the waters. "Think of it differently... I’d be contributing to the household. I want to make you proud, to stand beside you."
He shoved her hand away with a grunt. "I don’t need your money," he snapped. "But since you are sounding so sincere, I’ll give you a chance. I’ll even forget the debts."
Lorie held her breath, hope flickering in her eyes.
"But you are not going back to that company," he added sharply, dashing her hope away. "If you really want to work, help your mother at her bakery. That way, you stay close. If you behave, maybe I’ll invest in the business. But if you try to betray again, I’ll kill you."
Lorie’s heart sank like a stone. Her face went pale. She understood perfectly. She understood exactly why Robert refused to let her work at the company, but was willing to let her help at her mother’s bakery.
He didn’t want to lose his control over her.
At the bakery, he could monitor her every move, keep her under watch. There’d be no room to slip away unnoticed. Still, she couldn’t afford to challenge him. As much as it trapped her, it was better than being locked inside the house.
"I won’t betray you," she said, pushing the dread to the back of her throat. "You can trust ."
She stood and stepped closer, softening her voice, forcing herself to move in closer to him. "You are my fate now," she whispered intimately and ran her fingers gently along his jaw, then climbed into his lap. "I don’t want to go anywhere. I just want to be with you... always."
She kissed him, masking her revulsion under a cloak of false affection.
Robert tensed for a brief mont. But Lorie’s feigned affection chipped away at his suspicion. He gave in, pulling her closer, pushing her down onto the sofa as he kissed her back with growing urgency.
His hands moved over her body, tugging at her clothes with impatience.
Inside, Lorie recoiled. Every touch made her skin crawl. But she didn’t flinch. She let him believe she wanted this. She endured the disgust, knowing that survival ant surrender.
~~~~~~~~~~~
After a couple of days of rest, Anne returned to work, easing back into her routine. When lunch break ca, she decided to join her old friends.
Lilly and Rose lit up the mont they saw her.
"It feels so good to have you back with us," Lilly said cheerfully. "I miss working with you, Anne. I keep hoping you’ll co back to our departnt."
Anne smiled. "Why? Isn’t Luke doing a good job as team lead?"
Lilly made a face, clearly unimpressed. "He is not terrible... but he has changed. He acts so uptight now, almost as bossy as gan. It’s like he is trying to prove sothing." She rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"He has definitely lost that friendly vibe," Rose added. "But that’s not even the biggest news. You won’t believe what I heard."
Anne leaned in, intrigued.
"A friend of mine works in HR," Rose continued. "And she told gan tried to bring Lorie back. She actually recomnded her as her assistant."
Anne blinked, stunned. "gan tried to bring Lorie back?" she repeated, struggling to wrap her head around it.
"I don’t get it either," Rose muttered. "Lorie was fired for spreading lies and damaging the company’s reputation. Why in the world would anyone try to bring her back? Thankfully, HR turned down the request."
Lilly scoffed. "Serves gan right. That’s what she gets. Honestly, I wish the company would just fire her, too. That would really clean the place up."
Anne went quiet, her thoughts spiraling. She couldn’t rember gan and Lorie ever being close, at least not enough for gan to go out of her way to help her.
How had Lorie managed to convince her? What was she after? And why was gan so eager to pull strings for soone with such a stained record?
The questions gnawed at her.
Lorie had always been hostile toward her. Now, with gan clearly harboring her own grudge, the two joining forces felt dangerous. Anne couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that sothing was brewing.
Sensing her tension, Rose gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don’t overthink it. There is no way the company would let Lorie back in."
Anne forced a small smile. "I hope so." She gave a faint shrug, trying to brush it off. "Anyway, let’s not waste our lunch talking about her."
They turned their attention back to their als, their chatter shifting to lighter topics—weekend plans, funny office monts, the usual banter. Anne laughed occasionally, nodded when expected, but her mind never left that dark corner.
No matter how she tried to focus on the mont, her instincts stayed on edge. She had a feeling that Lorie and gan were planning sothing big against her.
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